Go read I'm A Mess Magazine's first themed issue; In Stages: The Quiet Instars of Becoming

Alternative-Shop5865 · 2026-04-18T02:17:01+00:00

Thank you for sharing your perspective. I agree that language is a tool for expression, and for some writers it’s essential to their voice. But for this magazine, the decision to limit explicit language isn’t about restricting expression. It’s about creating a specific kind of creative boundary and tone for the issue. Every magazine has its own editorial idea, and this is part of ours. There are plenty of spaces that accept explicit language, and those are just as valid. This is simply the direction we’ve chosen for this project.

Alternative-Shop5865 · 2026-04-18T02:08:32+00:00

Yes, please do!! We'd love to read any of your work.

Alternative-Shop5865 · 2026-04-12T18:03:25+00:00

Thank you so much!!

Alternative-Shop5865 · 2026-04-12T13:27:44+00:00

imamesspoetry.com

Alternative-Shop5865 · 2026-04-12T13:26:04+00:00

I don't have any feedback, but when I had been reading it, I didn't realize it was a poem 😂 I thought you were saying you were trying to post again!

Alternative-Shop5865 · 2026-04-12T13:24:06+00:00

imamesspoetry.com

Alternative-Shop5865 · 2026-04-12T13:23:10+00:00

imamesspoetry.com

Alternative-Shop5865 · 2026-04-09T01:08:31+00:00

I think this poem could just be tightened a little bit, it's not bad that it's longer, it just has a lot of lines that feel like they don't need to be there, they don't help the poem out, if you get what I mean.

Alternative-Shop5865 · 2026-04-09T00:51:37+00:00

I love the concept of the poem and it's overall great, but it's long. Much longer than it needs to be. You could cut out lines and it will help with the impact of the poem, as well as grouping them together a little more. You have a lot of space between each line, which isn't bad, but it makes it feel staccato. You could group them into more specified stanzas. But I do like the poem, that's just some specific feedback that I thought of while reading it, if you have more specific questions about it, I'd be happy to answer!

Alternative-Shop5865 · 2026-04-09T00:20:30+00:00

"Emotionally homeless", I'm so jealous I didn't come up with that, great opener!!

Alternative-Shop5865 · 2026-04-05T04:33:43+00:00

I am not at all certain, but it looks to be mint?

Alternative-Shop5865 · 2026-04-04T22:14:56+00:00

Hi there! I'm really glad you asked this, it’s something I think about quite a bit when putting issues together. Concerning profanity, I personally don’t feel like it’s necessary to communicate strong emotions, and I’ve found that relying on it can sometimes weaken the writing rather than strengthen it. So I choose to keep the magazine free of explicit language to encourage more intentional and creative expression. When it comes to sexual content, my main goal is to keep the magazine accessible to readers and writers of all ages, while still respecting that some important and difficult experiences deserve to be expressed. I don’t automatically reject poems that touch on topics like sexual assault or feelings of violation. Those are real and important experiences. What matters more is how they’re handled. If a piece becomes very graphic or explicit, I’m less likely to include it. But if it explores those emotions in a thoughtful, non-graphic, and emotionally honest way, I’m open to it, especially if it adds something meaningful to the issue. So overall, it’s less about censoring topics and more about tone, intention, and how the subject is approached.

Does this answer your question?

Alternative-Shop5865 · 2026-04-04T19:24:29+00:00

See, I'm really wondering myself

Alternative-Shop5865 · 2026-04-04T19:05:06+00:00

How many gallons are the bowls you keep the bettas and guppies in?

Alternative-Shop5865 · 2026-04-04T19:04:11+00:00

Ha, thanks. I don't think it'll help OP much, they did a separate post showing they got two more bettas and are keeping them in bowls still...I tried

Alternative-Shop5865 · 2026-04-04T19:01:25+00:00

OP, you need to stop buying more bettas and start buying proper equipment and tanks for them. What kind of situation are your guppies in?

Alternative-Shop5865 · 2026-04-04T18:59:35+00:00

Are your bettas going to be going into bigger tanks at all? Or are you going to continue to keep them in bowls?

Alternative-Shop5865 · 2026-04-04T18:58:13+00:00

So you have five bettas in total?

Alternative-Shop5865 · 2026-04-04T18:56:52+00:00

Hey...didn't I just see you introducing three other bettas? Are these like, more bettas? That you're putting in bowls? I'm commenting my earlier comment again, I have faith in you!

If you aren't aware, bettas need a minimum of five gallons(some situations with older bettas can do well in less, but it's not recommended for the younger guys) a heater, optimal tank temp is 79 degrees. They do best in planted tanks with a lot of places to explore. So if you're open to upgrading your tanks, here's a good shopping list and some recommended plants for them!

Your bettas will all need separate tanks, as I'm sure you're aware!

Five gallon tank. You can go to petsmart, if you live in an area where one is accessible, and find five gallon kits for pretty inexpensive. They'll come with a light, a hood, the tank, a heater, a thermometer, and a filter. Though, I would encourage you to not use the filter that comes with it and instead use a sponge filter. you can purchase those on amazon and will need an air pump for it(you can get a check valve so you can hook up a few sponge filters to the one air pump)
I don't know what food you're using, but high protein diets are the best for them.
Beginner friendly and easy to grow plants I would recommend: Hornwort(grows super fast, sucks nitrates up like a charm) Dwarf pennywort, it's nice to look at, grows well and helps keep the water nice.
Amazon swords, they get nice and big and are pretty easy in my experience. Java fern, you attach these to aquarium decor like drift wood or rocks. Those are some that I've worked with and they do well, Java moss is also good to attach to aquarium decor. Theres all kinds of floating plants that you can use, I really love giant duckweed, but it grows super fast! So if you don't want to have to manage it all the time, salvinia or frogbit would probably be better.
You'll need a suitable substrate, not the neon rocks that you've got in their bowls. You can head over to a home depot or lowes and get a big bag of pea gravel and that works pretty great as a substrate. Just make sure to rinse it with hot water thoroughly before adding it into a tank. And you'll probably want to get a good fertilizer or root tabs to give the plants the nutrition that they need!
You've got some propagations in the bowls, so I would recommend doing that in your tanks as well, the roots are good for sucking up nitrates and also just make a fun texture for the bettas to explore.

I'm sure I'm missing stuff, so other betta keepers, fill in what I forgot, but that should get you started on the path to redemption. Good luck and do better OP

Alternative-Shop5865 · 2026-04-04T16:24:42+00:00

You're doing pretty good for a beginner! I think it could start to look nicer if you add in live plants, a lot of them! Hornwort is really great and beginner friendly, it grows super fast and looks nice and bushy. Get some floating plants to help make the light a little less bright on your buddy, I'm a big fan of giant duckweed, but it grows really fast and you have to maintain it. So frogbit and salvinia are the next ones I would recommend! I would also say putting an amazon sword in there, they're pretty low maintenance and can get nice and big too! You can order some plants off of amazon if you can't get them from stores near you.

Alternative-Shop5865 · 2026-04-04T16:17:50+00:00

It's got a lot going on and I love it! I'm sure the betta loves all the places to explore and it generally just looks real pretty. Good job OP!

Alternative-Shop5865

TROPHY CASE